Category FACEBOOK PAGE DESIGN

The streamlined look for Facebook Pages was rolled out last month. According to Facebook, it aims make it easier for people to find the information they want and help Page admins find the tools they use most.

In this blog post, let’s jump right in and see what the major changes are that you need to be aware of…

1. TIMELINE DESIGN

The right-side column of your timeline now displays all your Page’s posts. This one-column display means that all of your posts will appear consistently on your Page and in News Feed. Also notice that all posts are now displayed in one single column.

The left-side column of your timeline features information about your business, including a map, your hours of business, phone number and website URL, as well as photos and videos.

You can re-order all the blocks on the left column, except “People” and “About”. Here’s how:

• Go to the “Manage” button (the pen icon), then click on “Manage Sections”
• Then use the “drag and drop” interface to re-order the blocks in the left column.

2. COVER AND PROFILE PHOTO

Your Page name and category, along with the Like, Follow and Share buttons are overlayed on the bottom portion of your cover photo.

The profile photo is now moved up farther onto the cover photo image and a bit to the left.

3. APPS TABS

Apps tabs are seen in 2 places:

• Left sidebar below the fold.

• Top menu bar, in the “More” dropdown menu.

4. ABOUT SECTION

Your about section now prominently displays your website URL.

5. NOTIFICATIONS

All notifications are now easily accessible in one convenient page named “Activity”.

Very important notifications like new page likes, unread messages are displayed at the right-hand side.

6. PAGE SETTINGS

All of your page settings are in one place. Note that Activity Log and Banned Users have been moved to the Settings tab.

7. INSIGHTS PAGE

All of the Facebook Insights you will need are shown at a high level on one page and includes “Pages to Watch”.

8. ADS MANAGER

No matter where you are on your Page, you can now view information about the ads you’re running. The Build Audience menu at the top of the Page offers direct access to your Ads Manager account.

What do you think of the new Facebook page layout? Do you have any questions about it? I’d love to help. Add your comments/questions below.

If you are a business owner or authorized representative, you can create a Facebook business page in a few simple steps:

Step # 1. Login to Your Personal Facebook Account
In order to access setting up your Facebook business page, you must first be a Facebook user.  Other page admins and contributors that will be involved in the growth of a Facebook business page will also need Facebook personal accounts.

Note, there are ways to set up a business account without it being linked to a personal account but you lose some of the key functionality offered by Facebook so I wouldn’t suggest this route.

Here are a couple things you’ll miss out on:

• Can’t be found in search, send or receive friend requests or build apps
• Can see public information about other people on Facebook, but can’t interact with those people except as a Page

If you’ve decided to create a page from your personal account – let’s get started.

Simply go to “Create Page”: https://www.facebook.com/pages/create.php

Step #2. Select the type of business you have
For B2B organizations, you can select either Company, Organization or Institution. For Non-profits like advocacy campaigns, you can select Cause or Community. You will also have to select a sub-category to further describe your page.

Step #3. Page Set-up
Setting the page has 3 elements – About, Profile Picture, Add to Favorites

• The About section is SO important.  Make sure you complete this section entirely as the about section is searchable by Graph Search (Facebook’s search engine) and allows people to find your company easier the more information you provide). Also, make sure to include keywords in the long description section.
• Add the site URL of your business if you have one.
• You can also add other websites related to your business such as links to your blog or social media profiles.
• Create a vanity URL for your business. It is a custom made URL to make your page URL easier to type on the browser or share.

Step #4. Profile Picture

• Upload a profile image (JPEG or PNG) from your computer or a website. The most optimal size is a square image that is 180x 180 pixels.
• A profile image will also be your thumbnail in comments, app boxes and posts.
• You can use your company logo, a similar icon or an image of a person if the page represents a brand.
• Make it stand out by putting a colored border around it – this will make it pop when people see it in their newsfeed.

Step #5. Add it to your Favorites
The Favorites sidebar is found on the left-side of the Facebook homepage just right under your profile picture. Decide if you would like to add your new page into your Favorites to make it easier for you bookmark the page when logged in to Facebook.

Step #6. Update Your Page Info
Once you’ve set up the About section, go back into Update Your Page Info and double check that your page includes all of the relevant information regarding your business. You can write short and long descriptions, include store hours or contact information, include a company mission statement, product details and awards you might have previously won.

Step #7. Manage Your Page Settings
This step allows you to set rules on the following:

• Who can post on your page: allow followers, or admin only.
• Privacy settings
• Age and country restrictions: if you need to limit your page to your own country, or an age group.

Step #8. Choose & Upload a Timeline Cover Image
The last step would be uploading your cover photo, which should be eye-catching and relevant to your audience and business. It should stand out and represent your brand. I suggest to my clients that they update their cover image once a month.  This image appears in your fans timelines and gives your business the opportunity to show up in their newsfeeds again.  You can also include a link in the description if you’re featuring a page from your website.  Simply click on the image after you post it and include a link in the description.

Optimal image size for timeline cover photos is 851x 315 pixels.